Censuses are the widest-ranging and most important primary source of statistical information. Given the periodicity of censuses, changes can be compared over time and between countries, since they are carried out on similar dates almost everywhere in Latin America and the Caribbean. Their results provide basic information on housing, households and individuals; they are also the only instrument capable of providing data for small geographical areas. The Latin American and Caribbean Demographic Centre (CELADE)-Population Division of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) works intensively with ECLAC member countries in various fields, enabling them to build up their own institutional capabilities.